Water buffalo

Bubalus (scientific name: Bubalus) is a genus of animals under the family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla, class Mammalia. Water buffaloes have thick skin and poorly developed sweat glands, necessitating immersion in water to cool down, hence their name. They are robust in build with sparse hair, mostly gray-black in color; they have large, flat horns that curve backward; broad hooves with solid texture, resistant to soaking, along with flexible knee and fetlock joints enabling them to walk easily through mud. Water buffaloes have relatively small ear flaps, narrow and elongated heads and foreheads, forward-pointing hair along the dorsal midline, and backs sloping downward posteriorly. There are four species in total. Worldwide, there are only about 4,000 wild water buffaloes remaining, which are severely threatened by genetic pollution from domesticated water buffaloes. The tamaraw is found only on Mindoro Island in the Philippines, with approximately 200 individuals left; anoa and lowland anoa both inhabit the Sulawesi archipelago of Indonesia and are also rare. These three species are smaller in size and were formerly classified under the separate genus Anoa. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has merged both genera into the genus Bubalus, noting that this classification remains controversial.